Boat Size Exaggeration

This has come up in a few conversations I have had recently. I have been at meetings and the topic of boats has come up. Now when asked about mine, I explain that I have a 29' boat. I never say a 30'er, because it's conwsidered a 29'er, IMO. In discussing with two recent people about boats, one claimed he has a 28'er. So I think, oh similar boat to mine. He then tells me it has a single 350 I/O. Now I know there are 28'ers out there with single I/Os, but for the most part they seem rare. This makes me wonder, is his boat truly a 28'er, or a 25' (lets say) with a few feet of platform and pulpit. I do know this gentleman trailers his boat often if that adds anything to the equation.

Another conversation about boats occurred and the gentleman explained he has a 30' Chris Craft. My father had a 33'er, and I love the Chris Crafts throughout the years. When I told him I had a 29'er, we began to talk. He explained it was a 1989 (Now I'm thinking an Amerosport, or possibly a sportfish). When we got into the conversation of gas, I mentioned having 200 gallons of fuel, and he mentioned having 100, maybe less... hmmm. Then he explained how he had a single I/O. Once again, yes there are 30'ers out there with single I/Os, but I would assume rare or few and far between.

I could possibly be jumping to conclusions, but it seems lately I am having a hard time beleiving peoples claims of boat size.

Oh well, I guess I can have a 34'er from now on.

Re: Boat Size Exaggeration

Its human nature, I guess. Some people lie about the size fish they catch or their golf score, etc, etc..

Ask for pics next time... sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Re: Boat Size Exaggeration

I am not going to mention my 1st reaction to this post. But I am wondering why it matters what people call their boats length. Is there some kind of contest going on that I am not aware of?

Most people would be inclined to describe their boat's length in the same terms as used by the manufacturer. In that case, if the pulpits and swim platforms are part of the manufactured hull then they count in the length. If they are an add on after market product, then they don't count, and are not part of the manufacturer's description of the boat.

If you are renting a slip, then it's the whole package that you pay for. If figuring hull speed, then you would use the Length at the Water Line.

So, basically I guess I am saying, why do you care?

Re: Boat Size Exaggeration

1984 Well Craft 26aft cabin fiberglass nose to transom is 26'4"
the factory pulpit adds 18" and factory teak swim platform extends another 24"--overall it is 30 feet plus the out-drive hanging out back.

my slip is 12ft x 30ft and the pulpit hangs out about 2ft and the stern is 2ft away from the back of slip.

I think most people go by MFG's name.

But my 1957 LoneStar ElDorado is 20ft long with factory transom bracket it is listed as 18feet.

maybe things were different back in the day from today where its the " Look At Me! generation.

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Bob's, It's not so much that I "care" bu I enjoy talking boats, and when the conversation comes up, another guy mentions a 30' boat, and I find out it's really a 24'er with a pulpit... it just makes me wonder if this is typical.

I have actually had it "affect" me when searching for used boats. I wanted a boat with two seperate sleeping areas, and a dinette. I found an ad for a 27' Sea Ray Sundancer. This style has the cabin layout I want so I was interested. I saw photos of the boats exterior, and immediately it didn't look right. After an inquiry I was assured it was a 27' Sundancer. Low and behold after I was able to get photos from the owner, it was NOT a 27' Sundancer. It was in fact a 25'er which is a HUGE difference. The 25' had an 8.5' beam, where the 27' had a 10' beam. I'm glad I caught this before driving and looking at this boat in person. I have seen this a lot also, a boat will be listed as a 27', 28' or 29', when in actuality it is a 24' or 25'er.

I guess the point of the post was for discussion only. I just have noticed people referring to boats I would call a certain size, as much larger.

My boat is actually 28' 8" nose to transom, 32' 4" with the integral pulpit, and the factory platform measure another 22"-24". I just wouldn't feel right calling it a 34', or even 32' boat.

So I don't let it bother me really, just wondering if it happens all over.

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So if my manufacturers website says 20'9" do i have a 20'er or a 21'er cause I know when I talk about size I usually round up

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Mustang, It is human nature to exaggerate. Heck I even had a friend who would make up bold face lies. Everyone knew, and no one believed anything he said, which is how we could stay friends with him.

You are correct to be unhappy, however, did you ever hear the story of the guy who insisted that "dock" was the name for the water between two piers. He told everyone he could about this. He was correct, but very lonely!

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Sometimes its a bit more confusing.

I own a Regal 2760 Commodore.
It is 26'8" at the waterline
29' if measured with out moulded in pulpit and bolted on swim platform, and
32' 3" measured over all

(I think the same hull is called a 2860 as a later model. )

Mine is listed in my marina as 29'
when people ask me how big my boat is i say big enough for me and 4 women
Is that exaggeration on my part LOL



Still No Fuss

Re: Boat Size Exaggeration

You guys are really over thinking this size thing. It is not a measure of how much usable space there is on a boat, but how long the entire manufactured boat is.

You can have your own requirements, but the length designation is a set by the Coast Guard. It is the entire manufactured length, w/o add ons, from the furtherest most forward point, to the most distant rearward point. This is how they measure, and is intended to give uniformity to a confusing issue. How the manufacturer chooses to fill that space is up to them.

Now, here in Florida, the Marinas charge for the entire length of a boat, not by the designated length. So a 30' boat with a 2' pulpit added on, and a 3' add on swim platform will pay for 35' of used slip space, even though the boat is technically still a 30'er.

Registration fee is charged by the designated length rounded up to the nearest foot.

You may want a boat with the room of a 30' but to get it you may have to buy a 35'er, if it has molded in pulpit and swim platform.

If you want to buy a boat at it's advertised size that has the usable space of that size boat, buy a jon boat. Otherwise, you need to adapt, cause the industry wont change.

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Guess I'm in the opposite camp. My little 15.5' runabout is just under the 16' length that requires the USCG and Harbor Patrols to board me every two hours and look for reasons to hand out revenue-generators (er, I mean "violations").

So I'm good with calling my 15.5' boat 15.5'

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I've got a 14' aluminum boat. After I had it awhile, I got a call from my east coast brother, congratulating me on my "big" boat. Somewhere along the way, by word of mouth, it had been upsized to a 40 footer. Bad phone connection? Who knows, but we had a good laugh. ;-)

Larry

Re: Boat Size Exaggeration

It is not the size that matters, it's how well you operate it.

Re: Boat Size Exaggeration

25thmustang said:

I have actually had it "affect" me when searching for used boats. I wanted a boat with two seperate sleeping areas, and a dinette. I found an ad for a 27' Sea Ray Sundancer. This style has the cabin layout I want so I was interested. I saw photos of the boats exterior, and immediately it didn't look right. After an inquiry I was assured it was a 27' Sundancer. Low and behold after I was able to get photos from the owner, it was NOT a 27' Sundancer. It was in fact a 25'er which is a HUGE difference. The 25' had an 8.5' beam, where the 27' had a 10' beam. I'm glad I caught this before driving and looking at this boat in person. I have seen this a lot also, a boat will be listed as a 27', 28' or 29', when in actuality it is a 24' or 25'er.

Click to expand...

I can relate to that, too and find the exaggeration annoying. I learned real quick to pry the actual model name/number out of the seller. Saved me a couple of otherwise wasted trips.

The manufacturers play games, too. My 1999 '240 EC' (24' 5") became a '248 EC' in 2000. Why? Beats me- it's exactly the same boat. Mid-late '90s Larson 280 Cabrios and 290 Cabrios are also the same boat. The model designation grew by a foot, the boat didn't.

My .02

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Re: the Sea Ray 27 footer issue. It's real simple to tell a 25' Sea Ray cruiser from a 27' Sea Ray cruiser. The 25 footer says "250" on the side and the 27 footer says "270". Simple, really. Hard to get fooled, unless you or the owner couldn't read the numbers. And the Sea Ray 270s that I know of (in the late 90s to early 2000s) have 9'2" beams. The ones with 10' beams are much older, and look completely different. And also look HUGE in comparision to any 25' boat.
As Bob is saying, the system ain't perfect. So it's up to you know what size a manufacturer's particular models are. and all that info is available on their websites, NADA, and in various boating magazines. Have fun reading.

Re: Boat Size Exaggeration

likalar said:

I've got a 14' aluminum boat. After I had it awhile, I got a call from my east coast brother, congratulating me on my "big" boat. Somewhere along the way, by word of mouth, it had been upsized to a 40 footer. Bad phone connection? Who knows, but we had a good laugh. ;-)

Larry

Click to expand...

This gave me a good chuckle as I have a brother that lives in Seattle Washington. He has a Striper. I believe it is the 1905 model. Somewhere around 18 - 20 ft. The boat grew to a 42 ft Sportfisher after a visit from an old friend of his that lives here in MO. I wish I could have seen my brothers face when I congratulated him on his new purchase. He set me straight and we had a good laugh over it.

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I understand manufacturer changes and measurements, it's the owners talking about their 30' boat to find out it's actually a 25'er. With the Sea Ray owner it proves my point exactly. Sea Ray calls it a 25' but the owner lists it as a 27' because in his eyes that's what it is.

Once again just a topic for discussion but something I see a bit from owners.

Btw I would be charged a 35' slip if I had to pay by the foot. Glad I don't lol.

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Yes - exaggeration is everywhere because every one wants to put the best possible spin on whatever they are pushing.

That's why my Sea Ray 170 was actually only 16.5 feet long

That's why my 50 inch television is measured diagonally across the screen, not straight across

That's why my Rule 850 gpm bilge pump is rated at zero feet of lift. Whose bilge pump pushes water laterally out of the hull?

That's why my car's fuel economy is no where near what the manufacturer says it is because the process for establishing fuel economy bears no real resemblance to the real world

That's why my stereo amplifier is measured in "peak" output, not sustained output

That's why my car's hp rating is measured at the crank, not the wheels

That's why even though the manufacturer of my marine rail system cites the capacity at 3000 pounds, the fine print on the sticker next to the control says the motor should not be run for more than a few minutes continuously in any given hour...


That's the buyer beware, your mileage may vary, results not typical, professional driver on a close course, don't attemp this at home world we live in!

(Actually - there is one area where it has worked to my advantage. My 90 hp Yamaha is actually....shhhhhh....a 100 horse motor.)

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Good post, Scoutabout!

One more: That's why a few resum?s I've read implied expertise at nearly everything, when, in fact, the new applicant knew almost nothing. I called them bragum?s. ;-)

Larry

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When I bought my Bayliner 2150 years ago, I saw one advertised as a 23" boat. The actual length of the thing is 20' 5" or so. I always called it a 20' boat. This guy thought it meant 21 1/2 feet so not only did he round up to 22 but he added a foot for good measure.

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My Carver was marketed as the "biggest 21' on the water", which would make sense because it measures 23'-4 bow to transom without pulpet and swim deck. It's MSO stated that it's 21', it's registered and titled as a 21'. Overall, it's 26'-2. I think Carver used the water line method.